


we can't do this

by narcissacronin



Category: Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcissacronin/pseuds/narcissacronin
Summary: nova is unsure about a relationship between her and danna but it works out :) (i deleted part of the end bc it was too sad so now it’s a happy one <3)
Relationships: Nova Artino | Nightmare/Danna Bell | Monarch
Kudos: 5





	we can't do this

Tears flowed freely down both of their cheeks. Danna stared at Nova in shock, her gaze traveling from the gun in Nova’s hand to her face. Nova’s hand shook as she aimed the gun at Danna, her finger hovering over the trigger.

_ Pull the trigger _ , Ace’s voice whispered in the back of her head.

Nova desperately tried to block out Ace’s voice, reminding herself that he wasn’t there. He was dead. He couldn’t make her shoot Danna.

“Please, Nova,” Danna begged, “don’t do this.”

_ Pull the trigger, Nova. _

“No!” Nova screamed, releasing the gun. “I can’t do this. I can’t—”

She stumbled backward, stepping away from both the gun and Danna. The air around them was tense, and Nova found it hard to breathe. Her breaths started coming in quick and uneven. Soon she was gasping for breath, her entire body shaking. Her legs wobbled as if they would collapse under her any moment. 

She barely registered Danna’s touch as she pulled Nova into an embrace, both sinking in a heap to the ground. Danna clutched Nova tighter, burying her face in Nova's shoulder. Nova's breathing soon slowed, and she found the strength to clutch Danna back.

The world around them seemed to still. Screams and gunshots from the distant battle went silent. The only sound was the beating of their hearts.

“D-Danna, I'm sorry,” said Nova, breaking the silence. Everything seemed to crash back down on her at once. It was no longer just her and Danna in the world. The stench of blood and gunpowder filled the air, assaulting Nova’s senses. All of the horrible memories started flooding back. How the Anarchists had been so sure they’d win. How they’d fought right up until their deaths. The looks of disgust and betrayal the Renegades gave her when she was unmasked as Nightmare. She shuddered as she remembered how her team had reacted—minus Danna, who had already forgiven Nova beforehand and promised to keep it a secret. Ruby and Adrian had probably taken it the worst, questioning if their friendship with Nova had been real or if that had been a lie as well. Oscar refused to even look at her, taking Adrian and Ruby’s side. Danna had tried to make a case for Nova, but they refused to listen. After that, Nova parted ways with them and fought on  _ her _ side for the rest of the battle.

A sob erupted from Danna’s throat, dragging Nova back to the present. Nova tightened her grip, allowing herself to pretend it was just her and Danna, and nothing could hurt them. The sounds from the battle seemed to be getting closer, gunshots cracking through the air followed by yelling.

Nova scrambled to her feet and stumbled back a few steps before regaining her balance and offering Danna a hand. Danna accepted it and climbed to her feet, moving a step closer. Then another, and another, and another. Eventually, they were standing face-to-face, mere inches apart.

A longing to close the small gap between them flooded Nova's limbs. Her heart sped up and she could practically hear it pounding her chest. Danna leaned forward slightly, angling her head—

“We can’t do this,” said Nova softly, her gaze falling to her feet. Danna stopped, staring at Nova wide-eyed. Nova balled up her fists, frustrated at her own emotions. 

“Nova,” said Danna softly, barely audible over the deafening sounds of battle. She reached for Nova’s hands and gently unfurled her fingers, gripping Nova’s hands between her own. Nova reluctantly met Danna’s gaze, not wanting to see the ache that was so painfully written across Danna’s features.

“We can’t do this,” Nova repeated, her tone more forceful this time. She started to pull her hands away from Danna but something in Danna’s expression stopped her.

“Why?” Danna asked, her pleading eyes boring into Nova’s.

“ _Why_? My uncle. The other Anarchists. Nightmare. I’m an Anarchist and you're a Renega—”  
“And? Those are all things I could easily look past and that we could work through.”

“Danna, you don’t understand.” Nova’s voice began to rise with each word. “That’s just the beginning of my long list of problems. Trust me, you don’t want me. I’ll just be a burden.”

“You’re not a burden.”

“How do you know that?” Nova was screaming now. “You don’t have to deal with me on a daily basis. You’ve never seen me at one of my low points.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “And I don't want to hurt you.”

Danna pressed her forehead against Nova’s. “You almost  _ shot _ me earlier. But here I am, begging for you to give me a chance. So, please, Nova, just give me a chance. Give  _ us  _ a chance.”

Before she knew what was happening, Danna was kissing her. Nova's whole body went aflame, her cheeks flushing.

Nova gasped and pulled away with a shaky inhale. Her forehead dropped onto the crook of Danna's neck, and her eyes started to fill with tears. Danna wrapped her arms loosely around Nova’s frame.

“I’ll only end up hurting you.” Nova pulled back, daring to meet Danna’s gaze. “I...I love you, Danna, and I don’t want to cause you any more pain than I already have.”

Danna cupped Nova’s cheek, tears glistening in her eyes. Nova’s heart raced, the battle was getting ever closer and it wouldn’t be long until they were in the center of it. Goosebumps raised on their arms, the air around them electric.

“So what if you hurt me? I’ll only heal.” Danna’s hand fell and she laced their fingers together. “I love you, too, Nova.”

A magnetic force pulled them together. Nova buried a hand in Danna’s hair and brought Danna’s mouth to hers. Danna gasped but was soon kissing Nova back. The kiss was slow, a moment both were trying to savor.

Then a gunshot cracked through the air, sounding as if it were only a few feet away. The rational part of Nova’s brain told her to stop kissing Danna, to run as far away from here as she could, but Nova shut that part out and kissed Danna harder.

The battle was raging all around them now, but Nova’s thoughts only consisted of Danna. The feeling of Danna’s lips against her. Danna’s hand in her hair. Her other on Nova’s waist.

Nova wrapped her arms around Danna’s neck and filled the kiss with all of her longing. A chill traveled up Nova’s spine as another bullet whizzed through the air, dangerously close to them.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she broke the kiss and dragged Danna over to a crumbled wall to take shelter. She leaned against the wall, out of breath. Danna was standing in front of her, a hand on the wall, just above Nova’s shoulder.

Danna leaned down, kissing Nova once more. Nova wrapped her arms around Danna’s neck, their bodies curving together.

_ Danna, Danna, Danna _ , Nova’s thoughts whispered. All of her senses were on overload and she felt separated from the world around her. The gunshots and yells faded to the background once more, the only sound the pounding of their hearts.

It was like they were in their own little world, where nobody could hurt them. And for a moment, Nova allowed herself to believe that that was true.


End file.
